SuitabookTrouble next door
Chris Higgins
- Reading
- Read alongside the child rather than treating Magda’s behaviour as harmless fun. Pause after the damage and blame are introduced, then revisit whether the friendship changes by the ending.
- Themes
- Friendship and trust: Bella meets Magda after moving into a new house, and they quickly become best friends. The friendship is central, but the available ending does not show whether trust is restored, challenged or abandoned.
- Responsibility and blame: Magda is described as causing several kinds of damage while ensuring Bella is blamed. The situation clearly creates an unfairness question, but the book’s judgement of Magda’s behaviour and its consequences remain unclear.
- The unsettling home: Bella has moved into an old, dark house and believes there is a ghost in the attic. The setting introduces mystery or suspense, but it is not clear whether the ghost is real, comic, frightening or resolved.
- Worth knowing
- Ask how Bella might respond if someone damaged belongings and made her responsible. If the ghost element feels unsettling, discuss whether it seems threatening, mysterious or simply part of the setting.